Too Good to Be True

April 1, 2014

Gr 5-8-April Sinclair's adventures in Faraway, Alabama, continue in this sequel to Can You Say Catastrophe? (Darby Creek, 2013). Billy and April start eighth grade as boyfriend and girlfriend; April is back to being best friends with Brynn; and her grandmother Gaga has concocted the Happiness Movement, which April thinks is kind of cheesy, but a good idea overall. Things get complicated when April makes the high school dance team but Brynn doesn't. She befriends another teammate, and the distance between her and her former friends grows. Add in April's continued confusion about her feelings toward "hot" neighbor Matt Parker. Friedman has encapsulated middle school rather convincingly. The journal-style text conveys much more about April than it does about the supporting characters, so readers are often left wondering what they think about April's behavior. The protagonist isn't always likable, as she can be self-centered and not mindful of other's feelings, but her behavior and conversations with herself authentically echo that of many kids her age. Not necessarily a "squeaky-clean read," the novel is still tame and will satisfy the curiosity of younger teen and tween readers.-Amy Commers, South St. Paul Public Library, MN

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2014
April's much-anticipated eighth-grade year rapidly devolves into a debacle. After a turbulent summer (Can You Say Catastrophe, 2013), 13-year-old April is excited for the new school year. She has been dating Billy for a month, and she has reconciled with her BFF, Brynn. However, new challenges arrive with the new year. April's relationship with Brynn is jeopardized when an opportunity to try out for the high school dance team results in April being selected to join the team while Brynn is not. Familiar characters return as Friedman focuses on April's relationship quandaries: her problems with Brynn, her mixed feelings regarding her relationship with Billy, and her perplexing interactions with the enigmatic boy next door, Matt. The journal format provides insight into April's emotional life as she expresses her inner turmoil with poignant honesty. Friedman sensitively explores the emotional upheavals that sometimes accompany the middle school years. The revelation of April's clandestine kiss with Matt wreaks havoc in her life. April's lament, "Can a girl make a mistake without her life falling apart?" highlights the intense pressures of middle school social life. Relying on the sage counsel of both her grandmother and father, April navigates her way. Readers will empathize as April displays spunk and resilience in addressing her mistakes and remaining true to herself. (Fiction. 11-14)

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